


Real, Not Real.

by Hambel



Category: Life on Mars (UK)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-22
Updated: 2012-04-22
Packaged: 2017-11-04 03:00:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/388940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hambel/pseuds/Hambel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>So, what did happen to Sam Tyler? Written before the conclusion of <i>Ashes to Ashes</i>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Real, Not Real.

Instinctive reaction gets him running to the car and yelling into the radio about the jewellery shop raid that went wrong, as he slams the car into gear and follows the blaggers. 

Gene yells at him over the radio to stay put, to wait for backup, to do anything except follow a car-load of desperate armed raiders on his own. Sam yells back that he has to do _some_ thing, that he’s tired of seeing villains walk free and that he’ll get this gang if it kills him.

He ignores the radio as he follows the Ford Escort out of Manchester, on narrow winding roads that he doesn’t recognise; not too closely because they have shotguns and while Sam might be considered a little bit insane, he’s never been considered suicidal. Not in this world, anyway.

He loses sight of the green car and puts his foot down to gain on it. Too late, he sees the sharp bend in the road and stamps on the brake instead, but he skids and loses control, sliding off the road, over green grass and heading for the river.

_This is not real. This is not… Real. This is... Real. Shit!_

He doesn’t feel the car sliding. He’s flying through the air and the sky is blue and Manchester is below, ready to catch him when he falls.

He doesn’t feel the car hit the water. But he feels the agony of every bone in his body breaking and shattering on impact, as the roads of Manchester welcome him with open arms.

He doesn’t feel the water surrounding him. But the heat from the tarmac and the blood pooling around his head are real; so very real.

_He’ll get this gang if it kills him._

But you can’t kill a dead man. Sam Tyler died seven years ago and twenty six years in the future. As the car fills with water, he takes his last breath and closes his eyes for the final time.

His body is never found. But then, DI Sam Tyler was never here.


End file.
